Although nanotechnology is a hot topic, the search for a true introductory textbook usually comes up cold. Students in a first course on nanotechnology come from a wide variety of backgrounds, so the text must not assume understanding of too much background material, nor be too focused on any particular area. And still, those students are capable of understanding the hard details of the science, so the text must not gloss over the rigorous scientific explanations. Nanotechnology: Understanding Small Systems fits perfectly between popular science books and high-level treatises, neither of which suit the needs of students approaching this field for the first time. Working from the ground up, this text provides a detailed yet accessible introduction to the world’s fastest growing field. Through real-world examples, hundreds of homework problems, original illustrations, and a clear approach, the authors accomplish the delicate task of keeping the book engaging while not avoiding real explanations of complex concepts. They take a systems-based approach, demonstrating how an understanding of the various areas underlying nanotechnology come together to create systems with unique functions and characteristics. In every case, comparing nanoscale systems to macroscale systems reveals the complex and fundamental differences between phenomena at different scales and uncovers the specific challenges posed by nanotechnology. With comprehensive coverage conveyed in an engaging and entertaining style, Nanotechnology: Understanding Small Systems provides a gateway into the exciting and rapidly evolving area of nanotechnology.

Table of Contents:
Big Picture and Principles of the Small World Background: Promises, Promises Understanding the Atom: ex nihilo nihil fit Nanotechnology Starts With a Dare: Feynman’s Big Little Challenges Why One-Billionth of a Meter is a Big Deal Thinking it Through: The Broad Implications of Nanotechnology The Business of Nanotech: Plenty of Room at the Bottom Line, Too Introduction to Miniaturization Background: The Smaller the Better Scaling Laws Accuracy of the Scaling Laws Introduction to Nanoscale Physics Background: Newton Never Saw a Nanotube One Hundred Hours and Eight Minutes of Nanoscale Physics The Basics of Quantum Mechanics Summary Nanomaterials Background: Matter Matters Bonding Atoms to Make Molecules and Solids Crystal Structures Structures Small Enough to be Different (and Useful) Summary Nanomechanics Background: The Universe Mechanism A High-Speed Review of Motion: Displacement, Velocity, Acceleration, and Force Nanomechanical Oscillators: A Tale of Beams and Atoms Feeling Faint Forces Summary Nanoelectronics Background: The Problem (Opportunity) Electron Energy Bands Electrons in Solids: Conductors, Insulators and Semiconductors Fermi Energy The Density of States for Solids Turn Down the Volume! (How to Make a Solid Act More Like an Atom) Quantum Confinement Tunneling Single Electron Phenomena Molecular Electronics Summary Nanoscale Heat Transfer Background: Hot Topic All Heat is Nanoscale Heat Conduction Convection Radiation Summary Nanophotonics Background: The Lycurgus Cup and the Photon’s Birthday Photonic Properties of Nanomaterials Near-Field Light Optical Tweezers Photonic Crystals—A Band Gap for Photons Summary Nanoscale Fluid Mechanics Background: Becoming Fluent in Fluids Fluids at the Nanoscale—Major Concepts How Fluids Flow at the Nanoscale Applications of Nanofluidics Summary Nanobiotechnology Background: Our World in a Cell Introduction: How Biology “Feels” at the Nanometer Scale The Machinery of the Cell Applications of Nanobiotechnology Summary Index